Travel sketchbooks 2012

When I travel, I like to take a sketchbook along. The very act of pulling out a sketchbook and pen or pastels makes me take the time to really look at where I am. looking at a screen or through the viewfinder doesn’t do this for me.

The places to sketch tend to choose themselves. Sometimes I draw standing up, but mostly it’s the location of somewhere to sit (sometimes sheltering from the rain, or having a meal or a coffee) that determines the subject matter. There are a lot of cafes and bars in the drawings.

This is a handy way of stripping away your preconceived ideas about what is worth drawing, and often leads to a better understanding of place. The time taken for sketches vary from seconds (on the fast trains) to around 30 minutes. The average would be 15 minutes.

Sketches vary from A4 to A3 and are in a bound book which becomes an entity unto itself.

These sketchbooks will be my medium of mind travel when my body is incapable.